Vampire Rock Opera 'Blood/Love' Slays Off-Broadway (No, It Doesn't Suck)

Blood/Love comes from co-creators Dru DeCaro and Carey Renee Sharpe (who also stars in the show). The musical tells the story of a vampire queen who abandons her life (and love) in the underworld to "live" out eternity up above on earth. After centuries of blood-sucking in the real world, she becomes bored and restless, leading her to look for love with a mortal who has a killer rock career and a dark secret.

First of all, the vocals in the show are spectacular. Brooke Simpson, who plays the former queen's BFF, is particularly fabulous. Each of her numbers is fun and flawlessly performed, with singing that brings the house down.

Speaking of the music, the genre and tone is quite eclectic—which I liked. There were, of course, more rock-heavy numbers. There were other tunes that felt much more traditional musical theater-y. And others still gave full-on Rent vibes (particularly the duets between the vampire queen and her mortal man-love). While I didn't leave humming any numbers, the songs were seriously impressive, especially as they were flawlessly played by the live off-stage band.

The visuals in Blood/Love are surprisingly strong. In an otherwise simple Off-Broadway theater, the elaborate, moving video screens create a high-budget feel, transporting the audience from location to location.

Not everything in the show is perfect. Unfortunately, lead actress Sharpe is quite lifeless (pun intended). But despite being an energy suck (more puns), her strong vocals keep things from falling too flat. And, honestly, the rest of the cast and show is strong enough to keep things entertaining throughout.

If you love vampires, rock music or just plain top-notch singing, Blood/Love is definitely worth the price of admission. The vampire musical is playing now at Theater 555 in NYC.

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